Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus

At once a Gothic thriller, a passionate romance, and a cautionary tale about the dangers of science, Frankenstein tells the story of committed science student Victor Frankenstein. Obsessed with discovering "the cause of generation and life" and "bestowing animation upon lifeless matter", Frankenstein assembles a human being from stolen body parts. However, upon bringing it to life, he recoils in horror at the creature's hideousness.

Dracula [Audible Edition]

The modern audience hasn't had a chance to truly appreciate the unknowing dread that readers would have felt when reading Bram Stoker's original 1897 manuscript. Most modern productions employ campiness or sound effects to try to bring back that gothic tension, but we've tried something different. By returning to Stoker's original storytelling structure - a series of letters and journal entries voiced by Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, and other characters - with an all-star cast of narrators, we've sought to recapture its originally intended horror and power.

The Three Musketeers

Romance, treachery, courage...The Three Musketeers has it all! In one of the greatest adventure stories ever written, the dashing young swordsman D'Artagnan and his daredevil companions Athos, Aramis and Porthos, become embroiled in duels, love-tangles and sinister intrigues which threaten the future of King, Queen and France herself.

Peter Pan

There are few characters in literature more iconic than J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up. Originally introduced in 1902 in another Barrie novel (The Little White Bird), Peter's story was expanded as a standalone novel in 1911 and since then has been memorably adapted for the movies, for television, and for stage.

The Moonstone

T.S. Eliot described The Moonstone as "the first and the greatest English detective novel". The stone of the title is an enormous diamond plundered from an Indian shrine after the Siege of Seringapatam. Given to Miss Verinder on her 18th birthday, it mysteriously disappears that very night. Suspicion falls on three Indian jugglers who have been seen in the neighbourhood.

The Man in the Iron Mask

The Man in the Iron Mask continues the adventures of the dauntless heroes of The Three Musketeers - Aramis, Athos, Porthos and d'Artagnan. In old age their swashbuckling ought to have been replaced by a more gentle way of life, but the veteran warriors find themselves at the center of a plot in which both hearts and heads are broken, and the very throne of France is at stake.

Bleak House

The case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce has ground its way through the courts for generations. At its heart are Ada Clare and Richard Carstone, who find love - and terrible loss - through their involvement in the endless battle. Meanwhile, her friend Esther Summeson, who believes she is an orphan, gradually discovers the truth of her identity. The court case throws out a web ensnaring all who come near it, including Lady Dedlock, the menacing lawyer Tulkingham, detective Bucket and tragic little waif Jo.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

This is the disturbing tale of the dual personality of Dr. Jekyll, a physician. A generous and philanthropic man, he is preoccupied with the problems of good and evil and with the possibility of separating them into distinct personalities. He develops a drug that transforms him into the demonic Mr. Hyde, in whose person he exhausts all the latent evil in his nature.

Oliver Twist

A workhouse orphan, Oliver experiences the terror and brutality of the criminal underworld. His companions, a thief, a whore, a pickpocket, and a fence, are destined for gruesome ends, but Oliver emerges unscathed from the darkness of the underworld.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

In the grotesque bell-ringer Quasimodo, Victor Hugo created one of the most vivid characters in classic fiction. Quasimodo's doomed love for the beautiful gypsy girl Esmeralda is an example of the traditional love theme of beauty and the beast. Yet, set against the massive background of Notre Dame de Paris and interwoven with the sacred and secular life of medieval France, it takes on a larger perspective.

Wuthering Heights

The passionate and tragic story of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff is one of the high points of nineteenth-century Romantic literature. In the relationship of Cathy and Heathcliff, and in the wild, bleak Yorkshire Moors of its setting, Wuthering Heights creates a world of its own, conceived with a disregard for convention and an instinct for poetry and the darkest depths of the human soul in torment.

Watership Down

Fiver could sense danger. Something terrible was going to happen to the warren; he felt sure of it. They had to leave immediately. So begins a long and perilous journey of survival for a small band of rabbits. As the rabbits skirt danger at every turn, we become acquainted with the band, its humorous characters, and its compelling culture, complete with its own folk history and myths.

Vanity Fair

Set during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, this classic gives a satirical picture of a worldly society. The novel revolves around the exploits of the impoverished but beautiful and devious Becky Sharp.

The Age of Innocence

Countess Olenska, separated from her European husband, returns to old New York society. She bears with her an independence and an awareness of life which stirs the educated sensitivity of Newland Archer, engaged to be married to May Welland.

Carrie

Carrie White is no ordinary girl. Carrie White has the gift of telekinesis. To be invited to Prom Night by Tommy Ross is a dream come true for Carrie - the first step towards social acceptance by high school colleagues. But events will take a decidedly macabre turn on that horrifying and endless night as she is forced to exercise her terrible gift on the town that mocks and loathes her...

Christine

Christine was eating into his mind, burrowing into his unconscious. Christine, blood red, fat, and finned, was 20. Her promise lay all in her past. Greedy and big, she was Arnie's obsession, a '58 Plymouth Fury. Broken down but not finished. There was still power in her - a frightening power that leaked like sump oil, staining and corrupting. A malign power that corroded the mind and turned ownership into possession.

The Name of the Rose

This hugely engaging story of murder, superstition, religious politics and drama in a medieval monastery was one of the most striking novels to appear in the 1980s. The Name of the Rose is a thrilling story enriched with period detail and laced with tongue-in-cheek allusions to fictional characters, the most striking of which is the Franciscan friar William of Baskerville, who displays many characteristics of Sherlock Holmes.

Publisher's Summary

The story begins with an investigation into some strange reports of an "opera ghost", legendary for making the great Paris opera performers ill-at-ease when they sit alone in their dressing rooms. Some allege to have seen the ghost in evening clothes moving about in the shadows. Nothing is done, however, until the disappearance of Christine during her triumphant performance. With an increasing pattern of fear and violence, The Phantom of the Opera begins to strike, but always with a beautiful young performer at the center of his deadly desires.

I was quite impressed by this book. I did not know that this was a book and was eager to listen to the full unabriged story. The story was quite fascinating and I was eager to listen straight through without stopping. The narrator Ralph Cosham did a good job narrating the story. He has a nice clear voice and was able to make the different characters stand out from each other. I really enjoyed this title and would recommend it to others.

21 of 22 people found this review helpful

S. P. Zaengle

Cooperstown, NY United States

06/03/07

Overall

"Book better than the movie"

I'm usually a purist and read the book before I watch the movie. However, my children persuaded me to watch Andrew Lloyd Weber's "Phantom" and I found the story to be haunting and unsettling, so much so that I decided to get the book.

This audio book was fantastic! The reader did an outstanding job infusing emotion into the reading. Leroux develops the characters so much more than a movie is able to. I understood so much more of the emotions, character backgrounds, and even the plot than I had with the movie. I ached for Christine Daae with the decisions she had to make and the final outcome of the story.

If your only exposure to Phantom of the Opera has been either Weber's Phantom or any of the other movies made based on this story, you must read (or listen to) this book. If you've never been exposed to any version of the Phantom, you must read this book. It is Beauty and the Beast set in an opera house. In the end, the only thing that can defeat evil is love.

38 of 41 people found this review helpful

Sara

Wheaton, IL, United States

22/05/05

Overall

"Brilliant!"

I liked the reading of this title so much more than then one narrated by Barrett Whitener, which seemed dry and forced. Ralph Cosham infused the story with more emotion which lent well to the delicate pronunciation of the text.

24 of 27 people found this review helpful

AudioAddict

Austin, Texas, USA

09/03/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"The rest of the classic story..."

STORY (French gothic classic) - I absolutely loved the play, which I saw in New York several years ago. This book isn't nearly as awesome -- no beautiful voices, costumes, stage effects, etc., but what it does is fill in the gaps of the story. Who is the Phantom? Is he real? Where did he come from? Why does he wear the mask? How does the story really end? These questions will be answered after you listen to this book. It is the original classic which inspired the plays, the operas, the movies.

The story takes place in (and under) a famous opera house in 19th Century Paris. It is basically a tragic love story about a hideously deformed creature who is obsessed with a young opera prima donna. Strange and horrible things happen in the opera house between performances and during them, and the Phantom (who supposedly lives under the opera house) is credited with causing them. The story is beautifully written and very engaging, but one thing I would criticize is that, as an American, I had a hard time keeping all the French names straight. Unfortunately, many of them sounded the same to me and I would end up getting characters confused, but I was able to keep the main characters straight so I suppose all is well.

PERFORMANCE - The narrator is male with a French accent. He does a good job but he doesn't attempt to distinguish between characters, so that will never receive over a three in my rating system.

OVERALL (actual rating 3.5) - Recommended for all lovers of the Phantom of the Opera in order to answer questions left after watching the play or the movie. The book isn't awesome, but it's enjoyable and informative. The language is clean and there are no sexual references, but be prepared for a dark story revolving around a very sad, disturbed main character.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Nicholas

Oak Grove, KY, United States

24/03/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Excellent!!"

I really really enjoyed this book. It fills in a lot of gaps of the phantoms story

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Barbara

Greenville, SC, United States

10/09/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Kept my attention"

Where does The Phantom of the Opera rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of my favorites, I'll listen to it again.

What did you like best about this story?

I've seen the movie and stage production of POTO, but have not read the book. The original book version gives more insight to the relationship between Erik, Christine and Raoul.

What does Ralph Cosham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator kept my attention. I liked his voice. Sometimes while listening to audiobooks my mind tends to wander if the story gets boring, but not so with POTO and Mr. Cosham's narration.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I could listen to it in one sitting, but instead I listen to books during my commute to and from work (45 min. one way) It helps pass the time and takes me places new and exciting instead of the same old drive everyday.

7 of 8 people found this review helpful

Janae

Pearland, Texas, United States

10/05/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"I am glad I took the time to listen to this book."

Would you consider the audio edition of The Phantom of the Opera to be better than the print version?

Yes. I don't think I could of read the book but b/c I spend so much time in a car, I found it interesting to listen to.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Barbara

kansas city, MO, United States

04/05/09

Overall

"spellbindingly beautiful & memorable"

This was an absolutely enthralling audiobook! I have listened to it more than once just to be swept away to the lower depths of the opera. I would recommend this to anyone who loves mystery, romance, redemption, and most of all emotive responses to love. Give it a try- you will not be disappointed!

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

Chicago, IL USA

23/03/09

Overall

"A must read."

This is a wonderful story and well told. It will help your understanding of the book to go to Wikipedia first, where you can get a list of the characters involved.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Ruth Bain

Orange County, CA

31/08/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Very gothic"

Great narration is the only reason I was able to finish this gothic tale. Maybe it's the translation from French, but the prose was stilted and dated. Of interest only as the source material for the musical "Phantom of the Opera". ( interestingly, the Phantom is never called that in the book, he is referred to as the Opera Ghost.)

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

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